A passenger allegedly struck a Frontier Airlines flight attendant with the intercom phone after being asked to leave the plane early Sunday morning.
The female passenger on Frontier Airlines Flight 708 “became belligerent onboard and was asked to deplane,” according to a statement by Frontier. “As she was deplaning, she picked up an intercom phone and struck a flight attendant with it.
The Tampa-bound flight from Denver International Airport took off after nearly four hours, according to Flight Aware.
Officers with the Denver Police Department arrested her and charged her with assault, according to local Denver news station ABC 7. Police said she was cited, released and booked on a flight home.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unruly Passenger Statistics, there have been 670 reports to date in 2023. While there were 2,455 reports in 2022, the year 2021 fared the worst, with 5,973 reports.
Earlier this month, passengers took matters into their own hands by voting to remove a passenger who had a confrontation with fellow flyers.
Flying Safe: Where to file a report
- FBI: For crimes during flights (sexual misconduct, assault, theft interference with flight crew members), airport-based violations (violence, interfering with security), bomb threats, or to report suspicious activity. They can be reached at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
- Air Travel Consumer Protection: For lost or damaged baggage, baggage fees, ticketing, denied boarding, flight delays, aircraft disinfection, discriminations, customer service (refunds, travel with children or pets.)
- Transportation Security Administration Online Help Center: For TSA screening technologies or process, missing or damaged items, permitted or prohibited items. They can also be reached at 866-289-9673.